Audience response systems enable an audience to participate in an interactive content through an interactive platform. Typically a presenter uses a computer and a projector to project a presentation for the audience to see. In the most common use of such audience response systems, presentation slides built with the audience response software display questions with several possible correct answers. The audience participates by selecting the answer they believe to be correct and pushing the corresponding key on their individual (wireless) keypad. Their answer is then sent to a base station—or receiver—that is also attached to the presenter's computer. The audience response software collects the results, and the aggregate data may be displayed within the presentation for all to see. Some keypads also have additional keys, allowing the presenter to ask (and audience members to answer) True/False questions or even questions calling for particular numerical answers.
Depending on the presenter's requirements, the data can either be collected anonymously (e.g., in the case of voting) or it can be traced to individual participants in circumstances where tracking is required (e.g., classroom quizzes, homework, or questions that ultimately count towards a student's course grade). Incoming data may also be stored in a database that resides on the host computer, and data reports can be created after the presentation for further analysis.
Audience response software enables the presenter to collect participant data, display graphical polling results, and export the data to be used in reporting and analysis.
In addition to the presenter's computer and projector, the typical audience response system has the following components: base station (receiver), wireless keypads (one for each participant), and audience response system software.
The majority of current audience response systems use wireless hardware. Two primary technologies exist to transmit data from the keypads to the base stations: infrared (IR) and radio frequency (RF). A few companies also offer web-based software that routes the data over the Internet (sometimes in a unified system with IR and RF equipment). Cell phone-based systems are also becoming available.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,715 describes an apparatus for interactively presenting information to members of an audience including a computer server means, a visual display means connected to the computer server means for displaying information to all members of an audience, an information storage means connected to the computer server means for storing information related to a plurality of categories and a plurality of topics related to each of the categories, and a plurality of seat computer means connected to the computer server means. Each seat computer means generates category selection signals and topic selection signals upon actuation by an associated member of the audience and displays the stored information to the associated audience member. This is a dedicated system comprising a computer server for both collecting and displaying information.
It is also the case that a generation of movie viewers has grown up with video game experience in which the game player actively controls video content. Members of this generation often find the movie experience too passive and would like to have the opportunity to influence what appears on the screen, or to interactively participate and share opinions.
WO 2005/016475 describes an in-theater interactive entertainment system including a game server to generate dynamic video content in digital form and a digital display in a theater for displaying the video content from the game The game server is connected to a telephony system and enables a plurality of individual game participants in the theater to exchange data wirelessly with the game server to affect on-screen video content. Software running on the game server and the telephony system enables the game participants to interact with the video content on the display. Again, a dedicated (game) server connects both the telephony system and the dynamic content.
As the pace of life continues to accelerate in the 21st century, people become restless and bored while sitting in a movie theater waiting for the previews and feature presentation to begin. Some movie theatres fill this time period with a static slide show including movie trivia questions, intermingled with commercial announcements and movie previews. The content of the latter is however fixed beforehand.
The advent of digital cinema projection systems has brought about new opportunities in the form of interactive digital cinema and alternative content such as live special events, sports, pre-show advertising and other digital or video content, such as e.g. Q&A sessions. This is a major added incentive for exhibitioners and advertisers. Currently, digital cinema technology is just beginning to take hold in the industry. Projection rooms today comprise a mix of analog and digital cinema, e.g. combining 35 mm film with digital projection. However, because of emerging trends and needs, more and more cinema complexes are introducing digital cinema.
Digital Cinema Projection (or Digital Cinema, for short) is a method whereby the traditional film containing the movie is replaced by an electronic copy contained on a storage device, such as e.g. a high-capacity hard drive and a server. A digital content server is a device that outputs digitally encoded content to a digital projector. Digital content servers are highly specialised equipment. Interoperability and compatibility between different manufacturers' digital cinema systems is a major hurdle. Standardization is still in progress at this time. In addition, interfacing with a digital content server is not available, i.e. on-screen content flow is not subject to audience input.
Much work remains before the digital cinema server is truly a commodity. Typical off-the-shelf audience response systems (or interactive theater systems) provide no connectivity or interfacing with digital cinema (content) servers or other external applications.